


Sparring Partner

by Mari



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: M/M, Swords & Fencing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-06
Updated: 2011-05-06
Packaged: 2017-10-19 01:36:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/195440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mari/pseuds/Mari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sulu could use a sparring partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sparring Partner

As soon as his shift on the bridge was over, Sulu took off, jogging down to the small practice gym where he knew Chekov would already be waiting for him. It was inconvenient for both of them to schedule these training sessions – Sulu would be eating a very late dinner tonight, and he knew that Chekov would be going on his twentieth hour without sleep – but it was worth it. Chekov was eager to learn combat techniques, and Sulu was desperate for a training partner who could help him keep the edge on his own fencing skills keen.

Not that Chekov was skilled enough to be a serious challenge for Sulu yet, of course. But he was learning fast. Sulu had started him off with basic _kendo_ techniques and two-person forms, and the younger man was soaking them up with his usual, slightly unnerving brilliance. In another month or two, he’d be ready to start adding traditional Western fencing techniques to his repertoire, and then for beginner-level free sparring.

Or possibly sooner. Chekov _was_ waiting, Sulu saw when he arrived, but not idly. He was practicing the _shidachi_ side of the sixth _Nihon kendo kata_ against an imaginary opponent, and Sulu could see that his technique was strong, though a little imprecise.

“Ah, you’re here!” Chekov said brightly, when he caught sight of Sulu. “I began on my own.”

Sulu nodded. “It looks good. I think you’re ready to start learning the seventh _Nihon kata_ , tonight.”

Chekov grinned, pushing sweat-damp curls off his forehead. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, “that if I keep doing so well… Maybe I should have a reward.”

Sulu raised his eyebrows. “The training _is_ the reward,” he said, reminding himself a little bit of his own first fencing teacher, who had been annoyingly fond of enlightened-sounding aphorisms. He shook his head. “I mean, what did you have in mind? I really don’t think you’re ready to try sparring.”

“No,” Chekov agreed. “I was thinking something else. Maybe…” he ducked his head, unsuccessfully trying to hide a blush. “Maybe, today, if I learn the _kata_ number seven, I could ask you one question and you will give me a truthful answer.”

Sulu frowned, trying to figure out what the hell Chekov meant. He was always a little bit hard to understand, but this went beyond the accent. He gave up after a moment and shrugged. “Okay, fine. Let’s get to work.”

Two sweaty, intense hours later, they had gone through everything Chekov had learned so far, and the seventh _Nihon kata_ , as well. Sulu was pleased. Chekov was doing very well, giving him a good workout even at his lower level of knowledge and technique. It wouldn’t be long at all before Sulu would have a sparring partner again.

“Okay,” he said, stripping off his protective gear. “You earned it. You can ask your question or whatever.”

Chekov paused before speaking. “My question is: would you mind if I kissed you?”

Sulu almost dropped his _daito_. “I… what?”

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” Chekov was biting his lip, and Sulu stared at his mouth, really looking at it for the first time.

He hadn’t thought about it before, but… “No,” he said. “I don’t mind.”

And then Chekov did, and Sulu _did_ drop his _daito_ , and was glad that they were using lightweight wooden practice _bokken_ and not battle-ready swords or even metal foils, because he liked having ten toes.

But what Chekov was doing with his mouth – firm, but also sweetly shy, licking his way in with the same intensity he applied to everything – maybe it would be worth a toe or two. Sulu brought his hand up against the back of Chekov’s neck, urging him further into the kiss, and he felt, more than heard, a breathy little moaning catch in Chekov’s breathing.

When they broke apart, both men were panting as hard as though they’d just finished another hour of practice.

“Wow,” Sulu said, and Chekov grinned.

“I must go,” he said, looking less pleased with himself. “I have bridge duty tomorrow – today – and I –”

“Go,” Sulu said. “Get some sleep. We’re training again tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, tomorrow.”

Maybe Sulu would have a partner sooner than he’d thought.

**Author's Note:**

> A note on the fencing: I went with _Kendo kata_ in this story for two reasons. The first being that I'm a martial arts instructor, myself (though we don't do sword training in my system), and knew that I could manage a short little story with some verisimilitude in the teaching without having to do a lot of research. The second reason is that the sword fighting that Sulu does in the new film looked more like Japanese-influenced combat than Western fencing, to me (the way he grips the sword behind his back at one point, in particular). Which, really, isn't quite consistent with the TOS version of Sulu's fencing, etc., etc. So, my fanwank on this one is that Sulu is proficient in many different styles of fencing, and is choosing to start Chekov off with one style at a time, to be combined later in free sparring practice. The end!


End file.
